Like the ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2, installation can be very simple, or it can be very problematic. The big difference this time was that I DID NOT connect the S500 to the computer automatically like I did the ScanSnap fi-5110EOX2.

DO NOT CONNECT YOUR SCANSNAP TO YOUR COMPUTERWITHOUT FIRST INSTALLING SOFTWARE

Just like fi-5110EOX2, the S500 has a yellow sticker over the back of the ScanSnap's USB connector port, saying to install the software first before connecting the ScanSnap to a USB port. Normally, you would think Windows XP would be able to handle a USB connection without first installing software. In this case, it is simply not possible. Imaging devices are one of the most tempermental installations for computers, and there is usually a very specific order and method to installing them.

The ScanSnap is one of those devices where you must follow Fujitsu's installation routines, word by word. Currently, there are no exceptions. So, when you purchase your ScanSnap S500, follow Fujitsu's instructions. They will save you a lot of troubleshooting problems.

"ABBYY FineReader for ScanSnap 2.0 is a set of optical character recognition (OCR) software applications that integrates with your ScanSnap Manager. It allows easy and fast conversion of images and PDF files generated by your ScanSnap scanner to editable files in Microsoftฎ Word, Excel or PowerPoint formats. ABBYY FineReader for ScanSnap recognizes documents on 177 languages, retains original document layout, and is fast and easy to use."

ABBYY PDF Transformer 1.0 Try&Buy

"ABBYY PDF Transformer is a software utility for one-click transformation of PDF files into Microsoftฎ Word, Excel, HTML, or TXT format. This utility is useful for converting image-only PDF files generated by ScanSnap scanner as well as searchable PDF files that are used widely for document exchange through Internet and e-mail. The Try&Buy version of the product allows converting up to 15 PDF documents and up to 3 pages for in case of multi-page PDF file."

Once you click on the Install Products button, the ScanSnap Setup CD-ROM installs the following programs automatically:

ScanSnap Manager v4.0

ScanSnap Organizer v3.0

Cardminder v3.0

PDF Thumbnail View v1.0

Installation of the ScanSnap S500 software took about 4 minutes. The fi-5110EOX2 installation previously took about 5-7 minutes. This is due to the removal of the PDF Thumbnail View application because ABBYY FineReader OCR 2.0 takes over.

Total Software Installation Time: ~13-16 minutes

Even with the extra ABBYY software CD-Rom, the overall installation was quick.